1923 – Mustapha Kemal Ataturk

How TIME Covered the News: From the ashes of the Ottoman empire, military officer Mustapha Kemal Pasha — later known as Ataturk — emerged as the father of the modern Turkish republic. His secular reforms and authoritarian streak left a legacy that would resonate for decades across the Middle East.

“He stands today as the Emancipator of Turkey. He has lifted the people out of the slough of servile submission to alien authority, brought them to a realization of their inherent qualities and to an independence of thought and action.”